Direction
by AndAllThatGoodStuff
Summary: "Carlos took in James' look with a subtle shift of his eyes. He was definitely everything he was asking for this character when it came to physique. but that alone wouldn't be enough to get this part." When James, an amateur actor, goes to audition for the role that could be his big break, he meets the man that could change his life.


**I just realized that I haven't posted anything on my fanfic page in forever, so here's something I wrote a while ago for my tumblr.**

"Up next is...James Diamond," the assistant director read off the list on her clipboard as a tall brunet entered the room. "Hi, James, I'm Camille," the woman introduced herself and reached out to shake James' hand.

The especially pretty boy smiled, giving a quick "Nice to meet you" and shook her hand in return.

"This is the director-slash-producer of the project, Mr. Carlos Garcia," the Camille introduced the two with a gesture of her hands.

Carlos took in James' look with a subtle shift of his eyes. He held a certain confidence that the Latino behind the table was glad to see. He walked tall, and not just because of his long legs, and his smile brightened the room. He was definitely everything he was asking for this character when it came to physique-he must have worked out two or three times a day-but that alone wouldn't be enough to get this part. "Nice to meet you, James," Carlos stood up to shake the man's hand.

James looked the shorter man up and down, taking in his adorable height, caramel skin, and serious dark brown eyes that still managed to hold a bit of playfulness. A smirk appeared on his face, and he flashed his pearly white teeth as he reached out to shake his hand. "Very nice to meet you, Carlos," James responded, rolling the name off his tongue.

Carlos' brows came together and he let out a small laugh as he pulled his hand from James' grasp. "Well, James do you want to tell us a little about yourself before you get started?" Carlos suggested as he took his seat. He nodded to Camille in the corner, signalling for her to turn on the camera. "What previous roles have you had?"

"Nothing major," James shrugged. "A few one-liners in some TV shows, but I'm really holding out for my big break." Carlos gave him a smile that made James chest fill with warmth and his smirk return. "I also love candle-lit dinners and taking amazing guys out on dates." He winked across the room to the director.

Carlos' smile faded and he cut his eyes to look at the paperwork beside him. "James, it says here that you're auditioning for the lead role of Tony," he said and looked back at the smirking brunet with a face that reflected his all-business attitude. "You know that's a very competitive part."

"I'm sure I can handle it," James chuckled, giving Carlos his best bedroom eyes. "I always love a challenge," he added with another wink. In any other case, James' prey would be swooning and he'd have their number by now, but Carlos' face remained stoic.

In fact, there was a small hint of a frown forming as he sat James' paperwork aside, folded his hands in front of him, and leaned back in his chair. James had been rejected enough at previous auditions to know what that standard body language meant. He tried not to let his panic show as he refocused on doing a kick-ass audition.

"Alright, James," Carlos sighed. "Let's hear a few lines." The brunet nodded. "Camille will be reading for Anna." Carlos waited with narrowed eyes for Camille to take a seat in the chair across from James and for the brunet to take his eyes off of him and take his own position. When the pair was settled, Carlos glanced at the camera to make sure it was recording. "Action."

...

"I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I would love nothing more than to take you in my arms, kiss you, and show you how much I love you forever, but-"

Carlos paused the video of James' audition with a sigh, tapping the remote to his chin in thought. Camille looked between the short man and the paused screen that showed James' strained facial features as he delivered Tony's dialogue. "I thought he was great," the brunette woman offered.

"Yeah, he was," Carlos grumbled and hit the button on the remote to rewind the video. The pair once again watched James introduce himself to Carlos. "But he was cocky, and did you see how flirty he was with me?" the Latino asked, face contorting in distaste for the action. "It makes me wonder how far this guy would go just to get the part."

"Or...maybe he thought you were cute," Camille shrugged.

"Please." Carlos rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "Guys like him wouldn't flirt with a guy like me. Dozens of guys just like him came in and didn't even bat an eye." Carlos paused the video again and stared at James' face. "But still...he did do a great audition." He once again tapped the remote to his chin as conflicting thoughts swarmed through his head.

"Well, even if he was just trying to get the part, I think you made it pretty clear that something like that wasn't going to sway you." Camille giggled at the memory. "I think you scared him a little bit when he finished, and you didn't even say good job or thank you."

Carlos frowned, pulling at his bottom lip with his teeth. "Do you think I was too mean?"

"No, just...really professional," Camille said. She sat up, stiffened her body, and removed all emotion from her face. "We'll be in touch," she spoke in a deep voice, imitating Carlos' serious tone. Carlos smiled a bit at the impression and Camille giggled as she relaxed into her chair once again. "This movie has got you wound up so tight! You probably freaked him out."

...

"Logan, I'm freaking out!" James ran a hand through his hair as he paced up and down his apartment. After being passively dismissed from the audition, James went right home and dialed his best friend's number.

The genius had always been able to talk him down from one of his episodes-from bad hair days to those days when he just didn't feel like the most handsome guy in the room-and right now, he really needed it.

"The audition didn't go well?" Logan questioned from the other end of the phone.

"No, well...I guess. Maybe," James sighed and fell into his couch. "I mean, I walk in and I see this gorgeous guy!"

"And it was love at first sight, right?"

"...How did you know?"

"You fall in love like every week!" the smart man laughed.

James rolled his eyes and began flipping through the channels on the TV. "But this was different. He's everything I'm looking for: cute, talented, short-"

Logan sighed a little. "Did you flirt with him, James?"

"Of course I did," the brunet let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped in dejection. "But it's not like it worked..."

"James," the genius scolded. "You can't flirt during an audition. He probably thought you wanted to date him just to get the part."

The tall man sat up with wide eyes as he thought back on Carlos' exact reactions to his usually irresistible moves. "You're right!" James slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. "No wonder he just wanted to get rid of me. He thinks I'm a jerk." Without a second thought, James was standing up and grabbing his keys. "I'll call you back later. I gotta go apologize."

"Wait. You're going back there?"

"Yeah, I can't let him think I'm some pretentious guy that sleeps with people to get ahead," James explained as he locked his apartment door and hurried toward the elevators.

"It's just one part, James. There will be others. You don't have to-"

"Who cares about the part? I have to talk to Carlos."

...

It was late, too late to still be in his office, but Carlos wanted to make sure he would make the right decision when casting the lead. There were so many great actors that came in and so many that would bring something great to the role. How was he supposed to pick just one?

"Maybe you're overthinking it," Camille mumbled from where she was curled up in the loveseat in the corner. Her eyes were half open as she looked through all the headshots for the tenth time just as Carlos had instructed.

"I could never over-think something like this," Carlos mumbled passed the hand pressed thoughtfully against his chin as he fast-forward through another audition. "If anything, I'm not thinking about it enough. There's something I'm missing that would point me out to the perfect Tony."

"And what would that be?"

"I don't know!" Carlos huffed, slamming his hands down on his desk. "There are like ten guys here that are perfect-great bodies, pretty faces, amazing actors-"

"So let's call them for a call-back," Camille suggested. "We don't have to decide it all now."

"Yeah, but-"

"Carlos, I'm tired!" Camille whined. "I want to go home."

"Fine," the Latino chuckled at his friend and waved her off.

The brunette did a fist pump as she caught a second wind and rushed to gather her things to head home. "See you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder and threw open the office door to see James Diamond standing on the other side of it.

"Oh...hey," the pretty boy lowered his fist and slid his hands into his pockets.

Camille's brow quirked and turned to shoot a smirk at Carlos. The director's eyes narrowed at her. "Weren't you going home?" he asked, brow raised as well.

"But we have so much work to do."

"Good night, Camille," Carlos said in a firm tone, making the brunette pout, but she complied, leaving James standing alone in the doorway looking unsure. Carlos tried to hold back a small smile when he realized how much the brunet looked like a lost puppy. "Did you want something?"

"Uh, yeah," James let out a nervous breath as he took a few cautious steps forward. His hand went to the back on his neck and his eyes fell to the floor to avoid Carlos' scrutinizing eyes. "I wanted to apologize about how I behaved at my audition this afternoon." Carlos was silent as he continued to study the pretty boy. "It was completely unprofessional, and I get that it probably came off a bit..."

"Shameless? Unethical?"

James winced. "Yeah," he sighed, shoulders slumping as he finally met the other man's eyes. "I didn't want to make a bad impression, I just..." His cheeks flushed a bit as he slid into the chair in front of Carlos' desk. "Our professions aside, speaking as two people who have just met for the first time," a smile came to the tall man's face, "you took my breath away."

"James."

"I'm sorry. I know I probably shouldn't say this; you're probably not even interested in men. But I couldn't help myself when I saw you. I acted on instinct." James shrugged his shoulders and smiled to himself. "Plus, I think you're really cute."

Carlos' cheeks colored as well and sat forward to lean his elbows on his desk. "Well, James I'm flattered that you think I'm cute," he chuckled. "But if we're going to work together then we won't be able to have any relationship other than a professional one."

"Yeah, I know that, but-" James paused. "Wait...are you giving me the part?"

"I didn't say that," Carlos narrowed his eyes at him but still held a playful smile that made James heart flutter. "You're a very talented actor James," he said truthfully, "and if you can concentrate on this role instead of flirting with me then you could have a chance at the part."

James' forehead wrinkled as he nodded and watched Carlos gather the things on his desk. "Wait," he spoke up again, making Carlos paused. "Are you saying you would go out with me?"

The short man let out another chuckle. "James, I just told you-"

"I know, I know, but if I were to turn down the part would you go out with me?"

Carlos sighed, slid his papers into his messenger bag, and zipped it up. "I would be really busy with the movie and stuff, but..." Carlos stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, "it's possible."

...

"I heard from Katie that you got a call back for that movie," Logan said to James as he prepared two cups of coffee. The pair sat at the bar of the genius' kitchen after deciding to hang out there on one of Logan's few days off from the hospital. With both of them having such inconsistent jobs it was hard to find a time to meet up, so whenever Logan had the day off and James was free, the two would meet up to talk instead of using the phone.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm gonna do it," James sighed. "I talked to Carlos about how I acted at my audition, and he said if I get the part then we can't date," the actor explained with a desperate look when Logan rolled his eyes and huffed.

"And if you don't then he'll definitely go out with you?"

James paused and fingered the coffee mug that Logan passed to him. "He said it was a possibility..."

Logan gaped at his taller friend. "You're giving up on your dream for a possibility?"

"Hey, you said it yourself-it's just one part, and there will be others."

"And before you even went to this audition and met this guy, you kept telling me how perfect you think this part was for you," Logan spoke in a soft tone. "You said it could be your big break."

"I know," James groaned and squeezed his eyes shut as if the decision physically pained him. "But...I feel like Carlos and I could have something amazing-something better than being famous."

At that, the short man's eyes went wide. "Wow." He blinked and took a sip of his coffee.

James' brows came together as he watched his friend's reaction. "What?"

"It's just..." Logan shrugged and laughed a bit. "I've never heard you talk about anyone this way. I mean, you've only known Carlos for a few days and you've hardly had a real conversation with him, but you're ready to risk the role of a lifetime for him."

"I know it sounds crazy..." James sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"It does," Logan chuckled. "You have to get your priorities straight, James. What's more important to you: your lifelong dream of being an actor or a relationship they may not last?"

The brunet took in a deep breath and his shoulders slumped as he let it out. "Being an actor, but...Carlos-"

"James," the genius leaned forward and placed his hand on the conflicted man's shoulder, "go to the callback and do your best to get this part. If you don't get it then you can date Carlos. If you get it then you're that much closer to your dream being a reality, and...then you can date Carlos when it's over." Logan smiled when he could see James thinking it over. "I know it's not your strong suit, but you just have to be patient and see where this goes."

James shook his head and let out a small laugh. "You're right." He reached out and wrapped an arm around the short man's shoulders. "You're always right."

Logan grinned and sat back to take a sip of his coffee. "I know."

...

James blew out a breath as he entered the room where fifteen other guys were waiting and talking with each other. Many of the guys resembled him physically-just the right amount of muscles, perfectly styled chestnut hair, and killer smiles. It made him a little sick just to think that Carlos would be surrounded by these guys all day long, but it only made him feel more confident in his decision to come to the callback. At least with him here, he could keep an eye on the short man as well as give him a direct demonstration of how amazing he is.

"Hi!"

The brunet jumped and turned to see the assistant director he met a few days ago. "Hey." He reached out to shake the woman's hand. "Camille, right?"

"Right," the brunette woman giggled as she shook his hand. "And you're James Diamond." Camille glanced at her clipboard and scribbled something down. "You're cutting it kinda close. We were starting to wonder if you were gonna show."

"Yeah, I uh..." James rubbed the back of his neck, "It was kind of a big decision; I didn't know if I was gonna come either."

Camille smiled and shrugged. "Well, we're happy to have you here either way." She then turned to the other men and smiled toward them as well. "Guys, we're gonna get started soon. Carlos and I would like to thank all of you for showing up. All of your first auditions were amazing and it was a really difficult decision, so I'd like to congratulate you all on making it this far."

James smiled to himself as the other guys in the room made noises of celebration as she said this. His smile grew wider when Carlos walked into the room, wearing a bright smile and giving a wave to the group. He tuned out Camille's talking as he watched the Latino glance around the room and then lock eyes with him. From the way his eyebrows rose, James guessed that he was surprised to see him there, but the smile he gave afterward showed that he approved of the tall brunet's decision.

"Anyway, I'll let Carlos explain it further," Camille finished and then turned to Carlos.

"Right." Carlos stepped forward and rubbed his hands together as he tried to keep his eyes off of James. At least that's what James convinced himself he was doing. "So, as you know, for this callback I didn't want you to read from our script and try to fit a role we made for you. You were supposed to prepare a monologue so that we can get a sense of who you are and what you could bring to the role. And like Camille said, you're all amazing, and I think every single one of you would be great, but I'm looking for someone perfect."

James couldn't help but smirk when Carlos glanced at him.

"No pressure though," the short man chuckled, making the other men laugh as well. "Alright. Let's get started."

...

"Hello," a guy a little shorter that James, lighter hair, and dressed in designer clothing spoke as he came to stand in front of the brunet.

James looked up and gave a small smile. "Hey."

The other guy sat in the chair beside James and stared at him with narrowed eyes. James tried to ignore it and keep his eyes on the screen of his phone as he scrolled through the songs there, but the other man wouldn't let up on his gaze. "You know, you're the only person here who's almost as good looking as me."

Brows coming together and face twisting, James looked up at him again. "Thanks...?"

"You're welcome." Thinking the conversation was over, James turned back to his phone, but the man sat back in his chair and flashed a confident smile. "I'm sure you recognize me."

"Uh..."

"Jett Stetson," he explained. At the blank look on James' face Jett's eyes narrowed. "I was the star of New Town High!"

"Oh yeah! I saw a few episodes of that when my friend's boyfriend's ex-girlfriend was on it."

"Yeah, I don't care about that," Jett said then turned away from James in favor of checking himself out in his pocket mirror.

"Okay," James sighed and looked back to his phone.

"James Diamond," Camille called from the doorway of Carlos' office. The brunet looked up and let out a nervous breath as he stood and entered the room. "Good luck," Camille whispered to him with a smirk as he walked passed her.

He gave a nod of thanks and only gave a quick glance at her as she hit the button to begin recording, and he tried to focus on doing a kickass audition.

"Okay, James," Carlos spoke up and James couldn't resist looking up into those deep brown eyes. His chest filled with fluttering when his eyes traveled to the Latino's grinning lips. "What will you be doing for us?"

"I'll be singing a song..."

"A song?" Carlos' brow quirked and he gave Camille a look to which she shrugged in reply. "You know it's not a singing role."

"Yeah, I know, but you said you wanted to get a feel of who I am and what I can bring to the part through this audition...and I think I can do that better through singing than I can through a speech I memorized."

Looking impressed, Carlos nodded and gestured for him to begin.

James took another deep breath and locked eyes with Carlos once more before he began. "Hot dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life," James started softly. "Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time..."

Carlos watched with amazement as James' eyes closed and just sang as if it didn't matter what he thought of him in this moment. He wasn't performing or competing for the role anymore. He was being James Diamond-displaying his passions and sharing them with anyone that will listen.

And Carlos listened.

He became so lost in the song-so lost in James, his movements, and how he hit every note with effortless perfection-that he barely registered when the tall man finished. He was brought back to reality when Camille began to clap and tell James was an amazing job he did. "Thank you for that, James," Carlos added with a smile so bright that James couldn't help but flash a grin of his own. Carlos cleared his throat and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth in order to suppress his smile as he turned away from James.

Camille gestured for James to follow her to the door before opening it for him. "I thought it was great," she whispered as he walked passed her.

"Thanks." James nodded to her again and looked over his shoulder to see Carlos shuffling through papers thoughtfully.

"We'll call you," Camille added then looked down at her clipboard. "Jett Stetson."

...

"Well?" Camille questioned Carlos with a quirked brow when the next guy left.

The Latino was sitting back in his chair with a distant look on his face and he was tapping his pen on his chin as he thought. Camille's eyes narrowed when the man let out a sigh and sunk down in his chair. "He was okay," Carlos finally said.

The brunette gaped. "Are you serious? He was great." Carlos made a sound of uncertainty as he sat up in his chair and began flipping through the papers on his desk. "Were you even paying attention?"

"Of course I was!" Carlos looked offended by the accusation. "He just didn't wow me."

"You mean like James did?"

Carlos sighed. "No, that's not what I meant." He bit the corner of his mouth as he tried to suppress the smile coming to his lips. "But James was pretty great. Who knew he could sing like that."

"Yeah, he was great, but you can't let James' audition distract you from everyone else's. It's not fair to them," Camille explained gently as she slid into the seat across from Carlos. "Be honest; you're kind of letting your personal feelings for James get in the way of making this movie."

"My feelings for James are strictly professional."

The dark-haired woman snorted. "Yeah, right!" she giggled. "You practically love him." At Carlos' glare, Camille lifted her hands in defense and stood. "Fine, but I'm right, and you know it. You're gonna have to figure out a way to separate your feelings for James as a potential boyfriend and a potential star."

...

"Hello?"

James paused, glanced at his phone, and put it back to his ear. "Kendall?"

"Hey, man, what's up?"

"I'm good, but...I thought I called Logan's number."

"Yeah, you did, but he's in the shower." Kendall chuckled. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just finished this audition, and I'm just feeling a little antsy now," James sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, yeah. Logan told me about the director guy that you're in love with."

James rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'm not in love with him, but...I've definitely never felt this way about anyone. I'm getting all mixed up every time I see him," the brunet groaned. "He's supposed to be the director and if I get this part then he'll be like my boss, but when I look at him, I just see this guy that I want to be able to call my boyfriend. So, my head gets all jumbled up, and I-I just can't tell what I'm doing sometimes until I do it."

There was a pause on the other line before Kendall spoke again. "I don't know, man. That sounds a lot like love to me."

"But I'm blowing it," James said, slumping in his seat. "I'm blowing my chances at the part, and I'm blowing my chances with Carlos." Despite the mess of thoughts in his head, James was able to let out a small laugh. "I've actually been sitting in my car over-analyzing my audition since I finished it."

"You're gonna drive yourself nuts doing that," Kendall said. "Look, if you want to date Carlos, I say you go in there and tell him that."

"But he's not gonna go out with me as long as I'm going out for the part."

"Then change his mind!" Kendall said as if the answer was obvious. "You're James Diamond-you're ridiculously talented and extremely pretty. If this Carlos guy doesn't see that then he isn't worth your time."

"Yeah..." James nodded, feeling his confidence returning. "I'm James Diamond." He sat up straighter with a determined look crossing his features. "I'm amazing!"

Kendall chuckled. "That's right." There was noise in the background. "Hey, Logan's out of the shower. I gotta go. Good luck with Carlos."

"Thanks, man. Tell Logan I'll call him later," James said before he ended the call. The brunet took a deep breath, climbed out of his car, and reentered the building to see that all of the men that had shown up for the second audition were already gone, but the door to Carlos' office was still open. He slowly approached the room and peaked around the corner to see Carlos alone, sitting at his desk, and staring with deep concentration at the work on his computer.

"Um, Carlos," James spoke, knocking gently against the door to get the young director's attention.

The Latino looked up and a large smile instantly came to his face. "James," he said as he closed his laptop and stood up from his seat. "I'm glad you're still here."

"Really?" The actor's heart was beating harder in his chest as the short man approached him with a shy, slightly nervous expression. "Is this work related or...?"

"Actually..." Carlos hesitated a moment longer before he pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to James. The taller man took it and his eyes narrowed in thought when he saw it was just a business card. "My personal cell number is written on the back," Carlos explained when he noticed James' confusion.

James' eyes went wide when he flipped the card over and saw the numbers along with the words "call me" scribbled under them. He looked back up at Carlos, wondering if he was serious. The short man slid his laptop into his shoulder bag and turned to face James once again. "By the way, I really liked your audition," he added before walking past James, allowing their arms to lightly brush together as he went.


End file.
